View source for Li River

{{Short description|River in Guangxi, China}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Li River
| other_name         = {{Noitalic|{{nobold|{{lang|zh|漓江}}}}}}
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = 87318-Li-River.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| image_caption      = 
| map                = 
| map_size           = 300px
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 300px
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = China
| subdivision_type2  = Subdivision
| subdivision_name2  = [[Guangxi]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = 
| subdivision_name5  = 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length_km = 164
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Guilin]]
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|215|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = [[Mao'er Mountains|Mao'ershan]]
| source1_location   = [[Xing'an County]], [[Guangxi]], [[China]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|25.88|N|110.47|E|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = 
| mouth              = [[Gui River]]
| mouth_location     = [[Pingle County]], [[Guangxi]], [[China]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|24.64|N|110.61|E|display=inline}}
| mouth_elevation    = 
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = 
| tributaries_left   = 
| tributaries_right  = 
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Li River (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Li River" in [[Simplified Chinese]] characters
|picsize=125px
|s=漓江
|t=灕江
|p=Lí Jiāng
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|l|i|2|-|j|iang|1}}
}}
The '''Li River''' or '''Li Jiang''' ({{lang-zh|c=漓江|p=Lí Jiāng}}) is the name for the upper reaches of the [[Gui River]] in northeastern [[Guangxi]], [[China]]. It is part of the [[Xijiang River]] system in the [[Pearl River]] basin, flowing {{convert|164|km|mi|abbr=}} from [[Xing'an County]] to [[Pingle County]].

==Background==
The Li River originates in the [[Mao'er Mountains]] in [[Xing'an County]] and flows in the general southern direction through [[Guilin]], [[Yangshuo]] and [[Pin-gle County|Pingle]]. In Pingle, the Li merges with the [[Lipu River|Lipu]] and [[Gongcheng River|Gongcheng]], becoming the Gui, and in turn falls into the [[Xijiang River|Xijiang]], the western [[tributary]] of the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]. 
[[File:The Li River.jpg|thumb|right|Tourist rafting boats cruise from [[Yangshuo County]], on the Li River]]
The upper course of the Li River is connected by an ancient [[Lingqu canal]] with the [[Xiang River]], which flows north into the [[Yangtze]]; this in the past made the Li and Gui Rivers part of a highly important waterway connecting the Yangtze valley with the Pearl delta.

The {{convert|439|km|mi|adj=on}} course of the Li and Gui Rivers is flanked by green hills. [[Cormorant fishing]] is often associated with the Lijiang.

Cruises on the Li are famous, attracting millions of visitors per year.<ref name="Tony">{{cite book|last1=Waltham|first1=Tony|editor1-last=Migon|editor1-first=Piotr|title=Guangxi Karst: The Fenglin and Fengcong Karst of Guilin and Yangshuo, in Geomorphological Landscapes of the World|date=2010|publisher=Springer|isbn=9789048130542|pages=293–302}}</ref>

==Geology==
[[File:Li-Flussfahrt-160-Huegel-2012-gje.jpg|thumb|left|Upper reaches of the Li River]]
The Li and its tributaries drain the area from Guilin to Yangshuo, descending from {{convert|141|m|ft|adj=on}} at Guilin to {{convert|103|m|ft|adj=on}} at Yangshuo. [[Mean flow]] past Guilin is 215 cubic meters per second, and [[alluvium]] sediments consisting of well-sorted gravels covered by silty sand, forming floodplains and terraces along its route.  Yet, it is the {{convert|2600|m|ft|adj=on}} of [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] limestones and karst terrain within the Guilin basin, that gives the area a dramatic landscape.  Two distinctive types of karst are found, Fengcong, and Fenglin, which have evolved for the past 10–20 million years, within the [[Cenozoic]].<ref name=Tony/>

[[File:Guilin (579528340).jpg|thumb|Fog on the Li River]]
Fengcong karst dominates the course of the Li River and is defined as a group of limestone hills with a common limestone base, with deep depressions (or ''dolines'') between the peaks, and sometimes described as peak cluster depression karst.  Hundreds of caves are present in this terrain, with 23 having passages longer than -1&nbsp;km alongside the Li River gorge.  The longest is the Guanyan Cave System which extends from Caoping to Nanxu.<ref name=Tony/>

Fenglin dominates the area around Yangshuo and south of Guilin and is defined as isolated limestone hills separated by a flat limestone surface generally covered by loose sediments, and sometimes described as a peak forest plain. The best-known fenglin is the [[tower karst]] around Yangshuo. These towers consist of strong and massive limestone forming near vertical sides with base diameters less than 1.5 times their height. The heights of the towers range from 30 to 80 m in the central basin but can be as high as 300 m near the Fengcong. Fenglin evolves from Fengcong by slow and continuous [[tectonic uplift]], associated with the [[Himalayan orogenic zone]], and even slower erosion of the towers.<ref name=Tony/>

Famous show caves in the [[Guilin Scenic Area|Guilin area]] include the [[Seven-star Cave|Qixing Dong]] and the [[Reed Flute Cave|Luti Dong]].<ref name=Tony/>

==Notable features==
[[File:LiRiver.jpg|thumb|Fishing boat on the Li River]]
#[[Reed Flute Cave]]: a [[limestone]] [[cave]] with a large number of [[stalactites]], [[stalagmites]], stalacto-stalagmites, rocky curtains, and cave corals.
#Seven-Star Park: the largest park in Guilin.
#Mountain of Splendid Hues: a mountain consisting of many layers of variously colored rocks.
#[[Elephant-Trunk Hill]]: a hill that looks like a giant elephant drinking water with its trunk. It is a symbol of the city of Guilin.
#[[Lingqu Canal]]: dug in 214 BC, is one of ancient China's three big water conservation projects and the oldest existing canal in the world.
#Other attractions include Duxiu Peak, Nanxi Park, the Taohua River, the Giant Banyan, and the Huashan-Lijiang National Folklore Park.

The imagery of the Li River is featured in the fifth series of the 20 [[Renminbi|yuan]] note.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:87496-Li-River.jpg
File:Guilin (48278561562).jpg
Image:Image at the Lijiang River.jpg|
Image:Rio li Guilin.jpg|
File:87303-Li-River.jpg
Image:87400-Li-River.jpg
Image:XingPing, GuangXi, China.jpg|This is the view from the banks of the Li River, as pictured on the 20 Yuan note. Just on the outskirts of [[Xingping Town]].
Image:Li River.jpg|Locals playing in the [[Guilin]] section of the Li River in Guanxi Province, China.
Image:Lijiang.jpg
Image:Lijiang river fishing.jpg
Image:Li-Flussfahrt-260-Flotte-Spiegelung-2012-gje.jpg
Image:Li-Flussfahrt-246-Huegel-2012-gje.jpg
Image:YangshuoFromTvTower.jpg|The town of Yangshuo
</gallery>

{{Panorama
|image=File:Panorama of guilin.jpg
|height=170 <!-- Height of image. In pixels, no units. Use Template:Wide_image to set the width instead -->
|width=<!-- Limit the width of the Frame enclosing the image. Include units e.g. 9px or 9%. Default is based on width of web browser -->
|alt=<!-- Alternate text for visually impaired readers. -->
|caption=[[Guilin]]
|dir=<!-- Can be: ltr (default) or rtl. Should scroll bar start at the very left (ltr = left-to-right) or very right (rtl)?  -->
|align=center<!-- Frame alignment. Can be: left (default), right, center, or none. -->
}}

==See also==
* [[Geography of China]]
* [[List of rivers in China]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{OSM relation|286445}}

{{Major cities along the Pearl River}}
{{Guangxi topics}}
{{China Rivers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|24.6301|N|110.64|E|source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Rivers of Guangxi]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the Pearl River (China)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Guangxi]]
[[Category:AAAAA-rated tourist attractions]]